Mary Addah, Programmes Manager of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), has described the resignation of Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, as “disappointing.”
Amidu resigned on Monday (16 November 2020), accusing President Nana Akufo-Addo of “political interference” in his work.
“The one condition upon which I accepted to be nominated as the Special Prosecutor when you invited me to your Office on 10th January 2018 was your firm promise to me that you will respect and ensure same by your Government for my independence and freedom of action as the Special Prosecutor,” he stated.
“We now fundamentally disagree on a non-partisan professional approach to the prevention of corruption,” Amidu wrote in a letter to the president.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday, 17 November 2020, Addah said although she is disappointed, the signs had always been on the wall that Amidu was preparing the grounds to exit.
“It’s quite disappointing, but I was not surprised,” she told show host Kojo Mensah. “We saw it coming, especially after he issued another statement two days ago lamenting over same issues of lack of resources.”
The Office of the President has not publicly responded to the resignation.
However, Addah is advising Akufo-Addo to “speak out on this issue to show that commitment that he by no means wants to interfere in the work of the Special Prosecutor.”
Appointment
Amidu, a former attorney general in the National Democratic Congress [NDC] administration, was named as the Special Prosecutor in January 2018.
Amidu, a man who has earned the nickname ‘Citizen Vigilante’ for his no-nonsense stance and campaign against corruption particularly in the NDC administration, was named by President Akufo-Addo after an emergency cabinet meeting at the Flagstaff House.
The president in announcing Amidu as the Special Prosecutor said he received the nomination from the Attorney General Gloria Akuffo and accepted the nominee, whose name was forwarded to Parliament for approval.
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